


Losing the Force

by Vex (lokisolo)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Gen, Secret Crush, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 12:31:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6753877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokisolo/pseuds/Vex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While training as Luke Skywalker's apprentice, Rey is haunted by dreams of Kylo Ren. She turns to her master, and learns the truth about his exile: the discovery of a relic that enables its wielder to steal energy, rendering a Force user powerless. As Kylo and his Knights of Ren close in on their objective to destroy the last Jedi, the time to invoke this ancient power becomes imminent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disturbance in the Force

Rey found herself standing in the cockpit of _The Millennium Falcon_. Yet, it was not in the worn and neglected state that she had always known it to be. Neither was she alone; there was a man seated in the pilot’s chair, holding a small, dark-haired boy in his lap as he pointed out the functions of the controls. The boy appeared to be a quick learner, picking up instructions and brightly repeating them with eagerness and understanding.

Then the scene changed, and she was no longer within the freighter, but inside a darkened corridor. She heard the distant sound of a man and woman shouting during the heat of an argument. Before her, she recognized the huge and shaggy form of Chewbacca, into whose powerful arms was nestled a tall but rather gangly boy, more grown than the one she’d briefly witnessed receiving piloting lessons in the _Falcon_ , but with the same black curls. The boy was silent, but Rey could sense the troubled feelings from him as he sought comfort in the arms of a beloved friend.

Once more, the vision shifted to an entirely different place. The sun filled this world at the height of midday. She saw a looming temple, and before it sprawled a field of cropped grass that would be suitable for a wide array of training exercises. There stood a circle of onlookers of various ages, but all wore the distinct brown robes and hair style of Jedi Padawans. 

At the center of the circle, a furious battle raged between two Padawans; they fought with the Force, but also with their fists. One was particularly vicious, a true scoundrel in his anger who employed one dirty tactic after another; she recognized him at once as the boy from the previous scenes, now much taller and more muscled, his face mostly hidden by wildly mussed dark hair.

Rey woke with a start from the disturbing sequence of dream visions covered in a sheen of sweat, her heart beating at a frantic pace. She sat up on her nest of rumpled woollen blankets on the floor of her hut. It was still dark outside, but she knew that no more sleep would come for her this night. 

Disentangling herself from her makeshift bed, she rose and went out to feel the brisk predawn wind against her clammy, flushed skin. She smelled the salty air that flew toward the island from across the clamoring sea, could perceive the rugged, black outline of mountains jutting upward against the star-filled canopy above.

She no longer wore her hair in the three-bun style that she had kept since girlhood. Her long brown hair now flowed loose over her shoulders, cascading halfway down her back. She had stopped making the buns shortly after her arrival on Ahch-To.

It was without great surprise that she discovered Luke Skywalker had also foregone any pretense of sleep; she found him standing a little distance away from the cluster of huts in the stony vale, gazing skyward into the stars as though he might consult them for their infinite wisdom of the universe. 

She joined him wordlessly at his side; over the few months of training with him, they had gradually established the bond of master and apprentice, but she was still not able to read him as well as he could with her. It was difficult to breach the surface of the Jedi Master, although she sensed conflict and volatility submerged in those still waters.

“There has been a disturbance in the Force,” said Luke at length. “Have you felt it, my Padawan?”

Rey hesitated. “Yes, Master. I have been troubled again by dreams.”

He turned his weary but kind face toward her. “I think you are aware that these are not dreams, but visions through the Force. Did you see Ben?”

She nodded, feeling at once uncomfortable with the exposure of what felt like such an intimate experience, something that seemed shouldn’t be shared so openly. But it was also no good to harbor secrets from her instructor in the ways of the Force, who saw and knew things before they were revealed. She never liked to speak of them though, particularly not of the ones that had left her feeling less than clean.

There were dreams that she could never form into words before her master.

Luke didn't ask about them. Instead, he lay a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning his attention back to the glittering night sky. “I have reason to believe that a connection was formed between you and my nephew. He might not have wished it, and I can sense your own unease with the situation. It unsettles you and distracts you from your training.”

“I am sorry, Master,” said Rey, seeing the truth in his words and not disguising the genuine shame she felt for allowing herself to be preoccupied. “If I knew how to break the connection, I would.”

He gave a sigh, which Rey sensed rather than heard. “There are ways to sever a Force bond. To strike down Kylo Ren is certainly one means to achieve it, but that is the path to the dark side. Fortunately, there are always other alternatives.”

Saying so, Rey stared as Luke fished a small item from one of the deep pockets of his robes. She recognized it as one of the relics he had uncovered from his searches among the ancient Jedi temples, but knew little else about it. A flat stone carving that fit snugly within the palm of his hand, it appeared too meager in size to serve much purpose, but she remembered one of the first lessons from her mentor: _size matters not_. 

The lesson to disregard the size and weight of objects had aided her in her trials of learning the ways of the Jedi, from her earliest days of lifting pebbles off the sand, to her more recent feat of making _The Millennium Falcon_ rise into the air without a pilot.

“This pendant provides power at a terrible risk. It gives its wielder the traits of an energy vampire, so you may imagine why it must remain hidden until great need for it arises. I have gone to enormous lengths to secure a way to return balance to the Force after the loss of my students. I found this, here on Ahch-To." 

He carefully replaced the item, as though wary of what smoldered within it. "If the disturbance that I am sensing tonight proves to be true, the time to awaken this power may arrive sooner than I would have liked. You will be freed from your connection with Ben, but that is the least of the consequences.” 

Silence then fell between them, but there was nothing strange about it. Luke was resourceful with his speech, giving none when words were not deemed necessary. For a little while, master and apprentice regarded the glimmering expanse of the universe together, until Rey noticed that one star was behaving very outside of its nature. It did not remain in a static position, but reeled closer toward them with striking agility, putting forth a blaze that outshone its cosmic peers. 

“Master – what is wrong with that star?” 

“That is no star,” murmured Luke, more with regret than surprise.


	2. The Force is My Ally

“Are you certain it will work?” asked Rey with rising anxiety after a moment longer of watching the enemy vessel make its rapid descent upon them.   
  
Vaguely, she wished that Luke had been more forthcoming and inclusive about the artifacts he had recovered during his journeys. He had surely sensed her curiosity, but the man whom she had once considered a myth retained a shroud of mystery about him. She felt a bite of resentment and not for the first time.   
  
If Luke noticed her darkening spirit, he gave no sign. “I must believe that it will, for the fate of the entire galaxy may rest on it.” His one flesh-and-blood hand remained hidden within the deep pocket that held the unremarkable-seeming relic.  
  
Rey found herself being flooded then by emotions that were not her own. “I sense great anger in him,” she breathed, barely able to get out the words. “And desperation.” The feelings coursed through her as energy passing through the bond she inadvertently shared with Kylo Ren.  
  
“The most perilous combination,” said Luke gravely. “I had hoped – perhaps against my better judgment – that it would not come to this.”  
  
The ship – discernible now as a transport shuttle, made a sweeping pass over the island, its beams tilted downward, before making a wide circle above the sea and then heading back. Rey wondered why it hadn’t simply landed, as she and her master were standing out in the open to receive whomever it was onboard.   
  
Shocking realization seemed to strike her and Luke at the same instant. “Run! Take cover!” he warned suddenly, but Rey was already in full flight. They raced from the cliff’s edge and were thrown to the ground by the explosion behind them. Peering over her shoulder, she saw that the spot where they’d been standing was scarred and smoking, a crater.  
  
She was on her feet again at once, although terribly shaken, and helped the Jedi Master off the ground. The ship had flown out toward the sea again, and she watched with helpless despair as it circled back for another attack. “Come on!” she urged Luke, but he wasn’t moving. There was a strange light of determination in his normally calm gaze.   
  
_“Go,”_ he insisted, stunning her. There was a firmness in his voice that would tolerate no dispute.   
  
Rey felt a sudden dampness sting her eyes, but she went, not daring to look behind. Whatever irritation she had felt for him earlier dissipated into grief as she heard and felt the rattle of a second explosion behind her. But she ran on, down a grassy hill that opened into a dark grove of trees, her vision badly blurred by the tears that now streamed freely down her face.   
  
She reached the mouth of a cave, concealed behind a waterfall whose musical clamor would not be sufficient to mitigate the blasts of an aerial attack. The explosions went on, pummeling the island without mercy. Hoping that this would not mean the worst but most likely outcome, she drew out and ignited her lightsaber, entering the depths of the cavern.   
  
The dark tunnels were colored blue by the glow of her blade, shadows dancing and fleeing from the unwelcome intrusion of light. Rey had been here before, seeking a quiet place to meditate and feel the Force flowing through and all around her. Now it was nothing but cold necessity that had driven her back; she kept moving through its winding passages, uncertain of what should be done.  
  
The tunnel she followed opened into a wide cavernous space, its high ceiling spiked with stalactites that dripped moisture onto the glistening floor. A serene lake ran the length of this chamber, its surface a perfect mirror that could be mistaken as solid ground. Not knowing what else to do, Rey fell to a kneeling position at the edge of its still waters, and began meditating for calmness and clarity.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 _“Judge me by my size, do you?”_ said a faraway voice from a distant memory. _“You should not.”_  
  
Luke Skywalker dove out of range as the enemy ship made another pass, this time blasting apart one of the hut-shaped dwellings, scattering charred fragments of debris in every direction. In spite of the deafening explosions all around, it seemed that he could hear the faint but clear voice of his former master inside his head.  
  
 _“Feel the Force surrounding you. Between the land and ship.”_  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment. An hour. An indeterminate length of time. Suddenly, they flashed open again, calm yet ablaze with truth and comprehension. For wisdom resided in the past through experience; he had once lifted a ship from the water, and from this, he knew that the reverse must also be possible.  
  
Luke seized the attacking vessel in the air as it circled back toward the island. Allied with the Force, he grasped the broad and powerful mechanical structure high above him, holding it in place over the sea and causing the engines to crunch to a destructive halt. Briefly sensing the reeling panic and bewilderment from those onboard, he flung the entire ship downward, watching it disappear into the churning dark waters below.  
  
The monumental task had cost the Jedi much of his strength; still, he knew that he had merely delayed and not prevented the imminent confrontation with Kylo Ren. With a great weariness, he staggered toward the edge of the cliff, peering outward at the crash site. The darkness of night was beginning to fade, the pale light of dawn painting the ocean surface with a golden tinge.   
  
Luke turned his gaze now to the coast, sensing the approach of an amphibious craft before it revealed itself. Deployed from the shuttle that had most certainly sunk to the bottom of the sea as nothing more than useless scrap iron, the comparatively small and sleek vessel appeared among the lapping waves along the shore, breaking the surface with a burst of foam.   
  
One by one, the Knights of Ren exited the water-traversing ship: seven warriors were they, fitted with baleful steel armor that recalled the shadowy memory of Darth Vader, each equipped with weaponry that varied in size and brutality. The knights formed two opposite ranks on the beach, each falling to one knee as the eighth, and final, passenger emerged into full view: a tall and dark masked figure that loomed over the others.   
  
Atop the cliffs overlooking the spectacle, Luke drew and ignited his lightsaber, its blade a beam of green-tinted energy, poised for battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the puzzleprompts LJ community June challenge.


	3. Confrontation on Ahch-To

Luke Skywalker held his position as the Knights of Ren came for him.

Day was breaking; the moon and stars faded as the sun emerged. The air was clouded with haze from the smoke and dust from the firings that had battered the once-peaceful island. The fight had been brought to the ground, yet prospects remained dire and desperate for the lone Jedi. He was weary, so weary – the enormous cost of energy it had taken to pull the shuttle from its stronghold in the sky and plunge it into the depths of the sea had nearly spelled his own ruin.

The seven warriors ascended the winding path, headed by their shadowy master whose face was concealed by a glinting steel mask. Kylo Ren, hooded and swathed in layers of black cloth and leather, was a strange sight to behold in the warm glow of morning on Ahch-To, appearing to have no belonging in such a green, lush world filled with light. Luke remembered the young, troubled boy who had once been his apprentice – flush with potential, but also with fear – now fallen to the temptation of the dark side.

“So long have you hidden yourself from me,” remarked Kylo softly, his speech a sinister growl through the filter of his mask, “one might begin to think you are a _coward,_ Luke Skywalker.” The crimson blade of his lightsaber crackled and hissed as though on the verge of combusting, a projection of his inner volatility.

“Yet you hide yourself even now,” retorted Luke evenly, though very strained. “You have _always_ been afraid, Ben. It pains me to see that has not changed.”

Kylo Ren made no answer, and a long silence passed before he reached up to unlatch and remove the helmet from his head. Luke was struck then by how lost and despondent the boy – now turned man – truly was beneath that menacing surface. The pale features, framed with dark hair now grown to the shoulders, were set into a mask of hatred. Yet the eyes held a profound sorrow from some grief that went unmourned. The vicious cut that Rey had scored into his face had healed into a deep, furrowing line that ran from brow to jaw, only narrowly missing the eye in its crooked path. 

Sparks flew in a dazzling flurry as their lightsabers collided, vibrant green meeting yellow-tinged red. It was with pity and regret that Luke made reluctant battle with his nephew. His efforts to reach for the Force were met with resistance and failure, so exhausted were his powers from countering the air strikes. His lightsaber was now his one means of defense against the foes that greatly outnumbered him, or so it would seem. 

Brilliant flashes of light exploded between the Jedi Master and his former apprentice as the duel quickly intensified, the Knights of Ren following in close succession with weapons readied. Luke was backed toward the edge of the cliffs as Kylo overpowered and dominated with ease, unleashing a barrage of crushing blows and spinning slash attacks that were scarcely blocked in time. It was with a great downward cleave that Kylo finally knocked his old master onto the ground, holding Luke captive now with his unstable blade poised beneath the gray-bearded chin. From that triumphant position, he stopped to consider his fallen enemy.

“What you did to my ship was... impressive,” confessed Kylo with an undercurrent of genuine wonder in his voice, tilting his head slightly, as his men fanned out into a single offensive line behind him. “But it was foolish of you to overtax yourself with such a grand maneuver. You have left yourself weakened, defeated.” 

Kylo ceremoniously raised his weapon above his head. There, it seemed to linger for an overlong moment. Luke could sense the conflict within him: a desperate need to prove himself to his dark side master clashing with something that might have resembled sentiment once. And then the spell passed.

“The line of Jedi has come to an end,” sneered Kylo; but without a trace of genuine pleasure, the gloating effect was lost. “It is over, Skywalker.”

_“Not... yet...”_

The secret power of the relic, nestled within his palm against the hilt of his lightsaber, was activated then with a startling blast of light that sent Kylo Ren staggering backward with a shouted curse. Stolen energy flowed from the dark sider and funneled into his would-be victim, the beam forming a highly visible bridge of moving currents between the two adversaries. As Kylo fell back from the battle, dazed and winded, Luke was off the ground and pursuing his formerly stronger opponent with renewed vigor.

Kylo Ren had dropped to his knees with a look of astonishment on his face, lightsaber branding fiery marks into the ground as it briefly grazed it. It was at that moment when all of the knights lunged forward at once to defend their master. Their sudden attack cut short the vampiric effect of the mysterious artifact, interrupting the stream of radiant light as it was deactivated; but the partial taking of the Force from his enemy had bought another chance for Luke, when all hope for victory had seemed lost.

As he confronted the Knights of Ren, a voice slithered into his thoughts. _What have you done,_ it demanded furiously, yet it sounded weak and distant. Rage that bordered on hysteria poured from Kylo Ren, however, and Luke had no doubt to whom the much diminished voice belonged.

His lightsaber came down upon the armored shoulder of one knight who had lunged recklessly at him with an axe; the blade sliced easily through the metal, severing arm from body and cauterizing the wound in an instant. One forward thrust and the saber was plunged into the steel-plated chest, its tip exiting through the back; as the weapon was wrenched free, the man fell dead. Another advancing knight was pushed high into the air with a gesture of his hand, tumbling over the cliffs with a scream that was silenced on the jagged rocks below.

It should have felt like vindication for the loss of his students long ago, but such meaningless death gave Luke no satisfaction. It was purely in the interest of self-preservation that he now faced his enemies and destroyed them without passion. Imbued with a new surge of energy, he met the remaining five warriors in lightning-quick combat that tore across the hilly terrain of the island in a relentless pursuit, their overzealous efforts proving to be little match for the Jedi as severed limbs and lifeless bodies dropped to the ground one by one.

Amid the chaos and stench of burning flesh, Luke had been keenly aware of Kylo Ren abandoning the very fight that he had journeyed from so far to instigate, stalking off to vanish into the shadow of the mountains.

 _Rey,_ thought Luke with dismay; he stayed forcibly locked in deadly combat with the remaining Knights of Ren, unable to intervene.


	4. An Ordinary Man

“Supreme Leader, we have lost communication with the Knights of Ren.”

General Hux stood before the hologram of Snoke in the deserted conference room of the _Finalizer_ as he gave the report; unlike Kylo Ren, he was unafraid of the projection of the wizened, scarred figure before him, and he was convinced that the loss of contact was through no fault of his own. He had no doubt that Ren had somehow erred on his mission and disgraced himself once more, a thought which gave the general no small measure of delight.

Snoke’s incensed outward reaction did not cause Hux to so much as flinch, as he was confident that the anger was not directed toward himself. He suspected, further, that the supreme leader had not been caught wholly by surprise with this information, having perhaps foreseen it by other means.

“Do we have their location, General?” was all the shadowy being said in response as he visibly withheld his fury from Hux, reserving it – he knew – for Ren.

“Yes,” answered General Hux, glad of the opportunity to consistently prove that _he_ was no failure. “We were able to track the ship before it breached the atmosphere of the planet on which the target was purportedly determined to be located.” He paused then.

“With regard to the sudden loss of comm transmissions, it is assumed that there was technical interference. It is also possible that the vessel may have crashed – leading to fatalities.”  
  
The dark, enigmatic figure seemed to consider this speculation for only a brief moment before giving a dismissive wave with one shriveled hand. “No. Kylo Ren still lives,” he said in a flat voice that suggested no sentiment nor concern for his wayward apprentice. General Hux stood silent and revealed nothing in his features, but inwardly reveled in the disappointment Snoke had for his student, in whom he had formerly boasted of such promise and potential.  
  
After an ominous silence, Snoke commanded, “Find him.”

Hux did not show it, but he was displeased by the order. He was uneager to embark upon yet another rescue mission, having to repeatedly clean up the messes of the man that he so deeply despised. However, there would be undeniable satisfaction in seeing Ren’s arrogance brought down another notch. With this happier prospect in mind, the general bowed in compliance, then turned to go and begin preparations. He froze as Snoke’s voice rolled across the empty conference hall like distant thunder.  
  
“If you are met with resistance, _crush_ it by any means necessary.”  
  
“Supreme Leader?” General Hux, startled, had spun around, the strict military bearing that he normally exhibited at all times in the presence of others now completely absent in his shock. He was certain that he must have misheard or misunderstood the meaning of that command; surely it had been made in reference to the Resistance and not to hint at defiance from Ren, in spite of the man’s string of colossal and possibly irrevocable mistakes?  
  
“I have not heard from him in too long,” disclosed Snoke in a murmur replete with suspicion and distrust. No further explanation was provided nor needed, for Hux was quick to deduce from the revelation that some conclusion must have been drawn purely by use of the Force. As technical and logical-minded the general was, one did not devote years of one’s career to serving the very founder of the First Order without permitting at least simple acknowledgment of that mysterious power possessed by a certain few.  
  
It was with unexpected difficulty and reluctance, surprising even himself, that General Hux bowed in silent acceptance of the command before striding hurriedly out of the conference room.

Hux was shaken. He swept through the narrow and winding passageways of the star destroyer, ignoring the flow of subordinates absorbed in matters of lesser consequence, before accessing the code-secured door leading into his personal quarters.

These were equipped with finer furnishing than most other living spaces onboard, every surface spotless and clear of nonessential decor with the exception of an intricately carved horn instrument that adorned a tabletop. He settled into his armchair and took a moment to steel himself for the unprecedented nature of the mission that lay before him. Through the external observation portal, the stars wheeled past in the cosmic boughs of their eternal majesty, but the general took no notice nor interest of such abstractions.  
  
An orange cat with pale stripes racing across its lean body crept from the shadows and invited itself onto its master’s lap in a rare display of affection, as though sensing the need for it. Hux stroked the animal along its spine as he stared ahead. He saw not the dim and mostly bare confines of an officer’s room, but the envisionment of a future without Kylo Ren in it. Alone would he command the ranks of the First Order, and perhaps one day become the supreme leader himself.

A cruel smile curved his thin lips, and the cat began to purr.

 

 

 

 

Rey was jolted from her meditative trance as a disturbance coursed through the bond that she shared with _him_. There was a fleeting sensation of fear and dread – to whom it belonged, she was uncertain.

Shafts of pale daylight had begun to pour in from previously hidden crevices and fissures in the high ceiling of the cavern; motes of dust swirled and glittered in the scant areas reached by tendrils of the sun. Most of the chamber would have remained obscured by darkness had it not been for the blue radiance emitted by the ignited lightsaber poised at her side. The tranquil surface of the underground lake appeared to bristle with the stalactites reflected from above, the mirror illusion disrupted periodically by intermittent drips of water.

She sensed now the closeness of the malevolent presence that had stalked her dreams and waking visions with tireless abandon. Slowly, the light from her weapon that painted blue the stone canvas of the cavern walls shifted into a luminous shade of violet as a second color melded seamlessly into it.

Comprehension and horror seeped into her consciousness, yet she willed herself to become peaceful and calm once more. Rising from her kneeling pose at the lake’s edge, she turned round to confront the shadow that had darkened her fleeing steps, always trailing slightly behind but never to be outpaced for long.

Kylo Ren then appeared, seeming to have materialized from the very darkness that filled the twisting tunnels of the underground labyrinth. Lithe form covered entirely in black, unmasked and disheveled from recent battle, his fiery crimson blade was turned upward into a threatening stance as he closed in on his cornered prey. The burn that she had inflicted upon his face during their last encounter was now an angry red line that stood out on his pale features. The man seemed diminished yet determined to conceal whatever weakness afflicted him, and Rey thought at once of the disturbance she had felt in the connection that bound them together.

The two adversaries circled and kept at a cautious distance as each sized up the other, both markedly changed since their previous meeting. Rey was clad now in the gray, layered vestments that had been afforded to her by the Resistance, having finally shed the light desert wraps that had once served her need on the dry, hot wastes of Jakku but would have proven less practical on the comparatively cool and misty world of Ahch-To.  
  
It was her hair, and not so much her switch of garments, that Kylo’s eyes seemed to stray to and linger on the most. Loosed from the three-bun hairstyle that she had kept for nearly all of her life, it flowed now in waves down her shoulders and back. He shook his head, as though to clear it of some errant thought, and removed his focus from the distraction.  
  
Rey found herself speaking first, shattering the deadly silence that had permeated the room. “It is not my wish to fight you.” Her tone was nearly imploring, in her bid to end this before it began.

“No? You _have_ changed,” remarked Kylo with mocking derision as he regarded her in cold study from across their drawn blades, conveying no serious intention of foregoing his plans. “Such a waste of potential. You should have accepted my offer; the dark side would never have allowed you to fail as Skywalker clearly has.”  
  
“I will never go to the dark side,” said Rey, her voice calm but firm with conviction. “And you don’t belong there either, Ben.”

She sensed the anger simmering within him, an ember that smoldered on the verge of forming the spark that would rise into an uncontrollable and all-devouring inferno. In return, she drew on the serenity that could be found within the Force even now.

The distance between them was closed with subtle and graceful maneuvering with the completion of each wary circuit, effectively bringing them together in spite of their deeply contrasting natures; the very embodiments of light and darkness they seemed, neither capable of resisting that intangible yet undeniable pull to the other.  
  
“You might wish to reconsider,” answered Kylo with all the appearance of sincerity in the perceived righteousness of his advisement.

The very edges of their lightsabers grazed one another now in a tentative brush that was almost gentle, a lightly exploring caress producing a shower of red and blue sparks between them. “The Supreme Leader has taken an especial interest in you. For those of us possessing of gifts that extend beyond the capacity of mere mortals, there exists no greater honor.”

At one time, Rey might have found him reprehensible and arrogant for making such an assertion; instead, the feelings it invoked were pity and compassion for the young man who had resolved to give up everything in pursuit of false ideals that could lead only to further sorrow and self-unravelment.  
  
“I have heard enough from your master,” returned Rey as she countered the gliding motions of his blade with her own, finding and meeting his rhythm, and using no more force than necessary to engage in the act with him. Noting the involuntary flicker of surprise in his expression, she went on. “On Starkiller. When I had you on the ground, disarmed and defeated – Snoke was in my head, urging me to finish you off. I see that you didn’t know of that. But, had I listened, you would not be here now to sell me promises of the great honor it is to become his servant.”  
  
Kylo Ren drew away a little, uncertainty written in his features. Silence overtook the stillness of the cavern, and for a long moment, there was nothing to be heard but for the steady dripping of water in the distance.

“Your lies and insolence will not be stood for.” The threat was quiet, his voice hollow and unsure.

“No,” she assured him, speaking now with gentleness and sympathy as she attempted to reach him – the tall and intimidating figure that had commanded legions behind him with an encompassing influence of terror, seemed now to crumple inward back into the stature of an ordinary man. “Snoke wanted you gone, and for me as your replacement. I refused to do his bidding, for that is the way to the dark side, and I will never go down that path. I heard his whispers as plainly as yours when we share visions...”

“It is as I suspected. You place far too much faith in daydreams and indulgent fancies.”

“You feel for me, something other than hatred–”

His face betrayed nothing, but the shame and confusion rolled from him in perceptible waves. “You’ve imagined it.”  
  
Rey was unfazed by the flatness of the denial. “Your master is full of promises that he will never keep; you fear that you have gone too far and done too much to ever return from. But your mother sees the light in you still – and so do I, through our bond. Ben–”

 _“Stop calling me that!”_  
  
Kylo Ren charged at her with a snarl of fury. Any visible traces of vulnerability were gone, replaced now with bared teeth and eyes alight with wickedness. She barely dodged the swinging arc of his lightsaber, purposed to kill, the missed blow halving a stalagmite and making the ground shudder with its force.  
  
Rey was driven backward as his attacks pounded against the defensive beam of her weapon, his anger not unlike the windstorms that ravaged and reshaped the desert fields of Jakku. Using the Force passively to anticipate his actions, she sought an opening in his defenses; finding one, she scored a glancing hit on his briefly exposed side. He drew back momentarily with a hiss of pain, then lunged with a reckless ferocity that was rivaled only by her focused tranquility. She was pushed toward and then into the shallows of the formerly peaceful lake, shattering its mirror image of the cavern ceiling and setting its reflective surface ablaze with the explosive clash of their weapons.  
  
Driven into a rage-fueled passion, Kylo captured the wrists of his opponent. There was a brief struggle, Rey twisting free from his grip but not before the blue saber had been plunged downward, its beam of energy forcibly submerged in the lake waters. There it boiled, issuing forth great plumes of white steam as its light was inexorably extinguished. The gloom of the underground chamber became taken over by the red glow of his unstable weapon, which he raised to strike.  
  
_I was wrong about him,_ thought Rey, suddenly afraid, recoiling into the water and shielding herself with her arms ineffectually from imminent death. _We all were._


	5. The Lurking Horror

The _Finalizer_ moved in slow orbit within the shadows of the moon that traversed its gravitational path about the vivid blue sphere of Ahch-To; shrewdly hidden, the warship lay verily as a silent predator in wait, its every station manned and ready to unleash sudden devastation at the first given command.  
  
Tensions ran at an inordinate high on the command bridge of the star destroyer as harried officers devoted their utmost attention and efforts to accomplishing their respective tasks at hand. Lieutenant Mitaka was analyzing recent data with careful scrutiny and a slight frown from behind his console when General Hux strode into the space.  
  
“Report,” said Hux briskly, hands folded behind his back as he stopped beside the lieutenant at his station.  
  
“We have been unable to establish communication beyond the atmosphere of the planet,” answered Mitaka. “There is believed to be electrical interference that prevents signals from being sent or received by our transmitters.”  
  
The general glanced at the glowing monitors that reflected the unfortunate findings, his brow creasing with rising stress and frustration. The subordinate officer remained mostly unafraid, content in the knowledge that Hux, unlike Ren, was unlikely to mete out physical retribution for perceived failures.  
  
An undercurrent of fear always permeated whichever space the mysterious and brooding Force user happened to occupy. Ren had not outright slain any member of the onboard crew so far, although Mitaka suspected that it had been a near thing for him when divulging that the valuable BB unit had evaded capture with the aid of a girl.  
  
As his enraged superior had pulled him forward by means of an invisible harness and closed a steel grip about his throat, thoughts of his wife and young daughter had flashed before his rapidly darkening vision. Later, he’d awoken on the polished deck, alone in front of the ruined consoles, his neck stiff and sore from that crushing hold.  
  
“Send probes to complete a scan of the continent that matches our coordinates.” The command from Hux was calm and rational, an adherence to procedure formulated to mitigate potential risks when confronted with uncharted or inaccessible territories. “Search for life signs, as well as evidence of an off-shore wreckage so that we may begin to assess the most probable cause.”  
  
“Yes, sir,” responded Mitaka at once, and Hux turned away from him in an open display of trust that the assignment would be fulfilled in due haste without further need of advisement. The lieutenant recognized that no higher praise could be expected from the rigidly methodical general, for whom perfection was the only acceptable standard.  
  
The seconds ticked by on the computer time logs; the longer their vessel held position in a static location, the greater the chance of detection by roaming enemies. However, it took the highly competent officer less than a minute to dispatch the mechanical intelligence-gatherers from their holding portals.  
  
Sleek, intelligent, and equipped with the most advanced stealth technology, the probe droids propelled themselves through space with the eerie elegance of spiders gliding on silk strands into the wind. Unless stopped or destroyed in time, the automated spies would soon return with information to be utilized in tactical warfare.  
  
Poised at the central point of the bridge as underlings rushed about in performance of their appointed duties, Hux observed the deployment of the probes on the viewscreens that monitored the external surface and surroundings of the warship at strategic angles. As the droids activated their stealth capabilities and faded from view, his gaze turned pensive, his mouth pressed into a thin line.  
  
Perhaps Hux and Ren were not so different after all, contemplated Lieutenant Mitaka for a brief moment before turning his focus back onto the flickering panels before him.  
  
  
—  
  
  
Rey shut her eyes tightly, cringing from the expected killing blow.  
  
There was a crackling hum as the volatile blade arced down in a merciless swing – freezing her heart – then the grating noise of pure energy meeting the unyielding surface of metal, and an unmistakable serpentine hiss.  
  
She opened her eyes and peered over the meager defensive barrier of her arms to see a horrified Kylo Ren backing away from an immense, obsidian-armored wyrm that had risen from the blackest reaches of the world – stirred, without doubt, by the disturbances sent from above. Fiery sparks poured from the narrow snout where it had been raked inconsequentially by the lightsaber.  
  
Rey somehow found her footing, and then tried without success to reignite her extinguished saber; but the creature ignored her, sliding past with a fluid grace that recalled a ribbon of sand in the dunes.  
  
The wyrm’s pale slitted eyes were trained on the man who had attacked it with the blazing weapon as it emerged from the deeps of the lake. Its long and slender body seemed nearly infinite as it crept outward on short but powerfully muscled legs ending in webbed claws.  
  
It began an unshakeable pursuit of the retreating dark sider, whose desperate efforts to penetrate the dense, metallic hide were rewarded only with a shower of sparks as not a single dent could be made. Its curved fangs glistened with ropes of venom as it struck with viperlike quickness and precision, barely missing its mark as it gave chase around the cavern, using its impossibly long body and whiplike tail to bar his attempts of escape.  
  
Rey fled; pushing down the mounting guilt that she refused to examine, ignoring the mortal terror from her enemy that was palpable through the bond, she began making her way through the sparsely lit tunnels that would ultimately open into the outside world.  
  
The clamor of the fight reverberated throughout the passages. Echoes of a lightsaber scraping against an unbreachable surface and the increasingly agitated storm of hisses from the reptilian monster seemed to follow her at every turn. She tried not to listen, to not imagine the ill-fated battle raging behind.  
  
Then she heard a human cry of pain that halted her steps – almost _felt_ the ripping of flesh with massive hooks.  
  
Escape from the darkness of the underground labyrinth was now within an obtainable distance for Rey. There was the faint murmur of rushing water and its clatter against the smooth stones that lay beneath it; the perceivable glimmer of sunlight not far ahead that signaled the very waterfall entrance that had taken her into the depths of the mountain.  
  
Its sight and sound rang of freedom from the horrors that lurked below – where the only son of Han and Leia remained trapped in losing combat – alone and left to die – as she had been as a young child.  
  
He was a murderer, had made every effort to strike her down in his feral temper... and yet...  
  
The memory of Han Solo standing on the bridge wove its way into her thoughts, the final gesture of the dying man to stroke the cheek of his son in wordless and unconditional forgiveness before plummeting into a fathomless abyss; the barest and most fleeting threads of sadness that had whispered into General Leia Organa’s kind but worried features as she’d come to personally bid her farewell during final preparations for the journey she was about to undertake.  
  
_“You won’t share the fate of my son,”_ Leia had informed her in quiet reassurance.  
  
It was then that Rey found herself turning resolutely from the inviting pull to the light at the mouth of the cavern, feeling it grow cold and dim behind her as she went hurtling back through the twisting tunnels leading down to her own probable doom, with no functional weapon nor clear plan in mind.

—  
  
  
One by one, the Knights of Ren had fallen.  
  
White mists crept from the knees of the mountain, diminishing into silver threads in the growing warmth of the rising day. The darkness let go its grasp on the surface of the world to retreat into hiding from the encroachment of light, banished for now to the underside of rock and tree.  
  
Luke Skywalker stood amid the haze of fog and smoke, the expanse of green wilderness littered by the motionless forms of the defeated brethren-in-arms. The ringing of battle had descended into the silence of death and ruin; naught could be heard now but for the distant clash of waves against the jagged shore of the island besieged by a cold gray sea.  
  
He switched off and clipped his lightsaber onto his belt, his heart heavy with regret at the senseless loss of life. The chilly wind rustled through the bloodied grass and whipped against the exposed flesh of his face as he wandered among the fallen knights in silent contemplation. Deserted by their master in battle, the warriors had nevertheless fought with courage and honor. For their bravery, Luke decided that they would be given a funeral – all seven of them.  
  
His thoughts turned next to the one who had brought war and destruction to the formerly peaceful and removed oceanic planet. Strands of yellow gleamed in the normally kind and gentle blue eyes as composure began to give way to anger and doubt. Then it passed, as immaterial as the shadow of a specter.  
  
Retrieving the artifact from the deep pocket of his robes, he was moved by a sudden desire to cast it far into the sea – to let it be engulfed by the unplumbed depths and never be discovered again. He strayed near the edges of the cliffs and raised the relic high into the air – when a disturbance in the Force overtook and stayed his arm in the beginning of its forward swing. An ancient terror had been stirred from the deepest confines of the world.  
  
Placing the carven figure into reluctant safekeeping once more, Luke strode purposefully toward the mountains and the spiraling darkness that lay beneath them.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Puzzle Prompts](http://puzzleprompts.livejournal.com/) community on Livejournal.


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